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Friday, June 27, 2008

It is the long awaited Frontier Days weekend in Swifty. (Pronounced Frawn-teer, not frun-teer, just so we're all clear). The weekend when Kinetic Exhibition Park is full of rides, games, cowboys, girls scantily dressed calling themselves ''Cowgirls", and families of screaming children all hopped-up on the biggest sugar rush of their little lives!The midway is probably my favorite part of any fair. I love getting on rides that were built in the early 1970s and maintained by people with a 3rd grade education. Though in all fairness, the trend for carnies has shifted from the Slack-Jawed Yokel variety to something more along the lines of the "Does your Corrections Officer know you're here?" There's nothing I love more than throwing caution to the wind and getting onto a giant piece of metal that will hurl me around (upside down at times) at ludicris speeds, testing the grit of my gastrointestinal prowess (or lack thereof).Then there are the games! Oh the games! "Hey there pretty lady, why doncha give this a try? It's easy, just knock down these milk bottles that are cemented to each other with a strangely irregular softball for $16 a ball!" They draw you in with the promise of winning a cute stuffed toy that's been sitting under the booth for the past 6 years gradually becoming the comfortable condominium to a family of fleas! Sure Mr. Carnie-guy, I don't need a retirement savings fund, my future kids don't need to go to college. What I NEED is a $90 stuffed toy that I could otherwise buy at the dollarstore fo 50 cents! I think what I love more than being harassed by the carnies into playing their fixed games is when they heckle Brad and call his masculinity into question. No, he can't win that game beacuse the rings that are supposed to fit over the pop-bottlenecks are actually a fraction of an inch too small, not because he's not "man enough". But good try.And we can't forget the food. The cottoncandy, the mini-donuts, the pizza, the snowcones, the gallons of pop, the elephant ears (or beaver tails as we call them in Smithers), the hotdogs, the corndogs...OMG...I think the indigestion grows as my bank account depleats!Ok, but seriously? I'm totally stoked! I LOVE the fair!!! And I will go, cowboy hat perched on my head (because at Frontier Days everyone can be a cowboy!) to wander the midway with my friends, ride the rides until I'm so dizzy I have to sit down, and totally pig out on fair food! Sha-na-na!!!

Thursday, June 26, 2008

1 month to the day of buying my scooter and I had to fill the gas tank. It was on E, but apparently E means there is still about a litre left in the tank because it only took 4.03 liters to fill. I've put on 143.6 kilometers in the past month. According to my calculations, that means I've gotten 99.7 miles per gallon! The grand total? $6.05

It's a special day today! My big bro, Frank, turns another year older today (despite what anyone says, I think that might just be weirder for me than it is for him). He's absolutely the best big brother a girl could have, and has been a good friend to me all my life, despite the torture I put him through growing up.

So I'd like to apologize to Frank for the following things:

-pulling his hair when I was a baby

-getting sick in the truck on our summer holidays

-harassing him and his friends (who I always thought were cute)

-always wanting to play with him even when he just wanted me to go away

I'd also like to thank him for the following:

-being the best friend I had in my early years, playing with me, and creating radio game shows, and always making fun voices for my stuffed toys

-speaking for me when I was little, and always knowing what it was I really wanted

-letting me play with the girl G.I. Joes when he was playing, even though he really just wanted me to go away

-getting up with me way too early on Christmas morning and birthdays and huddling under the covers with flashlights trying to make the time go faster

So Happy Birthday Frank! You're the best brother a girl could ever ask for and deserve nothing but the best in everything (you're also one of the most tolerant people I know!)

~Addition:The Breafast Boys (Chance and Jon) on the Eagle, Trent on CKSW, and Chris and I decided to all wish Frank a Happy Birthday. He's famous in Swifty now. Haha!

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

June is always one of those months of reflection for me. The grade 12 students at the Swift Current Comprehensive High School are having their Grad Ceremony this morning. 210 students who have been waiting for this day for 13 years. 210 teens who believe their lives are about to really start. 210 kids who believe they have it all figured out.

It's been 8 years since I was that student. 8 years since I graduated from Smithers Secondary School. I can't believe it's been that long already. It got me thinking though; about what I've done since, where I've come from, and how far I've gone.

I graduated in 2000. I was going to be an actress (cliche, I know) or a translator, and was accepted into UNBC but didn't go, instead moving into my first apartment with Vicky. We had some great times (eating a bucket of Bailey's Hagen Daas ice cream on our un-furnished livingroom floor complaining about our boyfriends), but it didn't last. Neither did my relationship with Chris. I fell in love in 2000, and fell out of love in 2001.

Maureen and I went to England in 2002 for three weeks (one of the most amazing experiences of my life) and when we got back home, Shawn and I moved in together into The Trailer.

Somewhere along the lines there I quit my job in the copy-centre at Interior Stationery (ozone from the copy machines and poor air circulation gave me migraines...should have gone to Workers Comp, but I didn't know any better and didn't have the balls to stick up for myself) and started at Omineca Streetwear where I became very close friends with Denise. I also worked weekends as a bartender at the Twin (an occassionally waitressing in the strip club upstairs, oh what a sordid past I have) where I met so many amazing people, including my twin, Leah.

I had been contemplating going into Radio after doing some live cut-ins on BVLD during Omineca's Grand Opening. I made up my mind to go to BCIT for their radio program during an argument with Shawn about our future and how I wanted to leave Smithers. It went something like this:

Me: "I want to leave Smithers and move to Vancouver"

Shawn: "I don't know if that will happen this year."

Me (split decision): "Well, I'M going to be leaving in September. I'm going to BCIT for radio. With or without you"

Shawn: "You are? That's great!"

(Not the reaction I was hoping for, but then, he never gave me the reactions I wanted)

So I went through the horrible applicaiton process (reference letters, an essay, a written test, a face to face interview, and the waiting and waiting to see if I got in), and got in. Shawn went to Mt Allison in New Brunswick and I packed up our life in the trailer and moved to Burnaby.

I lived in an all-girl dorm in res. There is no reason why 12 girls should EVER live together in one house. But we made the most of it. My first weekend we had a party and one of my roomates got so drunk that I had to hold her hair back while she puked and shrieked for her boyfriend. I learned the RA's were pretty much useless in that situation and that it was a everyone-for-themselves situation. There was another roomate who was psycho about being a vegetarian. She would storm down the stairs if we were cooking bacon and violently open all of the windows in the house, open the doors, and turn on the fan in a snit without saying anything to us, and then stomp back up the stairs. I would give a knowing look to my friend Jess (who was always the one cooking the bacon), and we would go around the house and turn off the fan, close every window and every door and overcook it so it would smell even stronger. Mildly vindictive, but oh well!

Shawn and I tortured each other during the year, broke up twice, got engaged, called it off, and suffered through the torment we inflicted on each other.

My friends at school though, were amazing. Kris, Nick, Jamie, and Britt were such an amazing support to me.

I had planned to live in Res during second year, but Shawn convinced me that we'd live together in an apartment in Van so we wouldn't have to spend another year long-distance. It fell through (shocking). We broke up for the third and final time three days before the big move. Mum (my hero) had a contingency plan figured out, and I ended up camping outside of res to get a room. Sarah, my RA from first year put in a request to have me in her house, and I ended up in Carrier B, where I became friends with Brad.

September was my month of bad decisions, but I learned a lot and pulled out of it relatively unscathed with only a few demons that I've battled over the years.

Mum came to visit me in school which was a riot. I'll never forget sponaneously breaking into song in the living room while watching TV and Kieran staring in shock ("no one would believe me, even if I told them").

Brad and I started dating in November and went through the rest of the school year happily with an extended Spring Break trip to Smithers and Swift Current.

I went to PG for my practicum where I lived with Angela in a sweet little room and board house. I also met Mare. I don't know how it happened, but we bonded faster than I've ever experienced before, and that brief month (filled with Boston Pizza...on the patio, at lunch, in the media room at the court house, etc) was all we needed to cement our friendship.

Next it was off to Rosetown SK with Brad. I lasted 9 months. Then Mare called and told me there was a job in the newsroom in PG. I had been trying to transition into a jock position, but the news job seemed like a foot in the door at least. So I moved in with Mare in PG. She is, bar none, the best roomate I've ever had and even though we only lived together for 4 months, it seems like much longer.

I got my own apartment and kept climbing the ladder in News while Brad and I did the long distance thing. I moved back in February when all of the cards fell into place. Now I'm here, living in a house that we've bought together, I'm the News Director and morning show co-host on Magic 97.

In the past 8 years I've fallen in love three times, fallen out of love twice, packed and unpacked my life 15 times, gotten onto dozens of planes, travelled thousands and thousands of kilometers in this country and overseas, learned to stand up for myself and learned that I'm the one who has to take charge of my life. My happiness is my own responsibility. I've learned that the things I say I will "never" do are the things I usually end up jumping into full-bore.

I've learned that life is what happens when you're making other plans.

I'm a big fan of hot dogs. Innevitably by the end of summer I don't want to see another tube-steak as long as I live, but at the start, I just can't get enough of the questionable meat.Friday was Golden West Radio's Hot Dog Day at the station. It took a ton of organizing from everyone involved, but their hard work paid off and the steaming hot dogs were served up to hundreds of people. (I had two).It was a glorious sunny day (I think I actually got some sun on my legs!) and everyone gathered in front of the station to socialize, visit, meet, greet, and generally gorge ourselves on free food. The dogs (from Treen Packers) were the best I've ever had, and the buns (from the Husky) were awsome too. Makes me anxious for next year's Hot Dog Day!

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Thanks to Mum, I learned that it's possible to make your own hula hoop! So I did! (the instructions are here) I bought the pipe, connector, some chrome duct tape, and three colors of electrical tape all coming to about $13...and the next time I make one I'll only need the $6 pipe and connector). I played around with my tape and the top left picture is what I came up with. When all was said and done, I took my new toy outside and gave it a whirl (I absolutely intended that pun)!

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Ashley let me try her hoop (it's the Mustang Sally Model) yesterday afternoon. I've now decided that the only thing that will make me even cooler than I am right now is to take up hooping! My next purchase is going to be a new hoop. Besides the obvious physical benefits of hooping (awsome cardio, great for the abs and back muscles, apparently really good for organ health as well), taking up the hoop is the first step towards my new career goals. I plan to take over this girl's job:

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

It's happening again! Under 2 months until another Jess and Mare reunion! Yay! Penticton won't know what hit it over the August long weekend as we celebrate Mare's 25th Birthday (with a toast to my 26th perhaps?), drink muchos tasty beverages, relax on the beach, and catch up on hugs and girl time! Soooo stoked!

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

November 19th, 2008. It's a little long for a countdown, but no less exciting! Vassy and I are going to be making a trip to Calgary to see New Kids on the Block at the Saddledome! She snagged tickets to the show last week and I'm so beyond stoked! The downside is that it's not until NOVEMBER. Boooo. 5 months away! But, our tickets are pretty good, considering all that's available now is upper level. We're on the lower level, section 116, row 6! I've put a dot on the map to show the approximate place. I'm good with it! YAY! CAN'T Wait! Hahaha! I've been waiting to go see them since I was a diehard fan at 6 years old!

Monday, June 09, 2008

Since the start of the Facebook craze, everyone with a profile has encountered this situation: someone less than savory from your past adds you as a friend. From then on, every time you see their picture or an update from them you wonder to yourself Why, oh WHY, did I add you to my friend list?!Now what? How do you give someone the slip? Especially after they've sent you a message saying how good it is to see/hear from you. The guilt of the situation sets in and suddenly you're stuck. Sure, you accepted their friend invitation in the first place, but let's be honest, it was just to see what kind of a loser they've turned into; how many times they've been divorsed, how many kids with how many fathers they have, and the collective number of pounds gained since you last saw them (secretly hoping that it's in the ballpark of 300). But now, NOW you're trapped. They believe things are fine. It would be fine if they just sat there quietly in their profile and left you alone, but no, they have to be pleasantly chatty, just making the guilt even worse.By guaging how bad you feel right now for adding someone just to see how big of a failure they are now, you know that if you were to "accidentally" delete them from your friend list you'd feel exponentially worse! The other option is a thoughtful rejection message, but that's not a good choice either since they will see it as totally unprovoked and suddenly the tables will turn. Next thing you know, a couple of months down the road the guilt will be eating away at you so strongly that you'll want to look at their profile "just to see how they're doing", suddenly feeling caring and considerate. So you send them a friend request, but they don't accept because, let's face it, you were kind of a dick. Now you feel hurt but can't help but believe you got what was coming. Lose-lose.

Thursday, June 05, 2008

When studying up for my motorcycle drivers license, it seemed to me there was a general theme to the book "always watch out for other vehicles on the road because they won't see you and you'll die". Ok, I get it; defensive driving. Check.

I had no idea just how extremely relevant that was until I actually started driving my scooter around town. Yesterday I took Scoots McGee out for a long rip around the city mostly to try out different situations and different types of pavement and to get a good feel for riding. I was amazed at just how many drivers either didn't notice me, or noticed me so much that they nearly crashed into other things while gawking. Even if they did see me coming, I was apprehensive that they wouldn't really register that I'm a vehicle. It really is all about driving defensively.

I have read that in the past year there has been a 120 percent increase in motorcycle accidents in Saskatoon! Police are saying it's because everyone is trying to beat the price of gas by buying motorcycles and they just don't have the experience to ride them safely.

This fact started a conversation with Brad and we both agreed that there need to be restrictions on the type of bike you can ride when you first get a license. I know myself that there is no way I could climb onto one of those crotch-rockets and ride with any level of safety. Not a chance! The conversation then shifted to other drivers. They just don't notice bikes. I think there needs to be more emphasis on motorcycle awareness for drivers. That conversation moved us on to distracted drivers and how terribly dangerous it is. Particularly driving while on a cell phone or texting.

I stole this from another blogIn a national survey of more than 900 teens with driver’s licenses from 26 high schools, teens rated the following behaviors or activities as “extremely” or “very” distracting:Instant or text messaging while driving - 37 percent[The teen driver’s] emotional state - 20 percentHaving several friends in the car - 19 percentTalking on a cell phone 14 percentEating or drinking - 7 percentHaving a friend in the car - 5 percentListening to music - 4 percent

Now that to me is scary, but so true. But what's maybe more frightenning is the 63 percent of teens who DON'T think that texting is extremely distracting!

Well, now what? Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec are the only two provinces who have made it illegal to drive and talk on your handheld cell phone (I believe the car kits are more acceptable). It would be admittedly very inconvenient for a lot of people if the entire country were to jump on the bandwagon and ban talking on cell phones, but on the other hand, shouldn't safety come first?

I remember one day driving in PG along Massey Dr (the autobahn of PG where the speed limit is 50 but if you go less than 80 you get dirty looks while being passed by everyone from little old ladies to bikers) I was heading down Massey and a truck coming towards me was being driven by a man with a cell phone in his right hand and a cigarette in his left. Now, call me crazy, but I'm pretty sure that's all of the hands there are. That means he was probably steering with his knees...along a curvy road...um...no deal.

Maybe if people were reasonable about things this wouldn't be an issue, but let's face it, give 'em an inch and they take a mile.

Those are my thoughts. Mostly it stems from not wanting to get smoked while riding Scoots. Please don't hit me. Thanks!

Tuesday, June 03, 2008

Yesterday I took Mum to Medicine Hat where she spent the night before leaving for Smithers again this morning. I hate saying goodbye.

LUCKILY, while she was here we had a fantastic time! We toured around the city, perused the stores in both malls, hit up Wal-Mart, wandered downtown, planted a garden, took in a quilt show, and drank pots and pots of tea! I can't think of a better way to have spended a week. And a nice bonus was that we had so much fun that it felt like much longer than only one week!

Here are some of the choice photos:

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See! It DOES make sense here!

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We bought hats at Empire and wanted a picture, but the pictures kept turning out ridiculous...this was the best one we got. haha!~ After helping me decide what to plant and helping with the planting of the new flowerbed!~ ~

It was somewhat last minute when Vassy and I decided we needed to start a team for the Relay for Life. But we gathered together 10 awsome people from the radio stations, the Booster, and Southwest TV News and raised money for the Canadian Cancer Society. In total our team raised $2001! So thank you so much to everyone who donated!